Snail Mail

Oh, you can turn it off. Over to the right, in grey, it says “Hide Announcements,” and then these banners will disappear, but do you want them to?

I don’t want to read another story of a musician wise beyond his or her years. Yes, there was that story in the “Times” the other month, I always glance, skim a bit, since this is my world, but I don’t go online and listen, because if I did I’d have no time left at all, and so much of what is promoted is not worth a listen, at least not in a world where the history of recorded music is at your fingertips. But a banner on Spotify? You had to convince the powers-that-be that your music has value and you’re supporting it.

And to be truthful, I don’t know how many subscribers got this Spotify banner. But I did read all about the backlash to the Drake “Scorpion” banner. And on one hand I get it, but on another I don’t. I mean how hard is it to ignore? But truthfully, it was overdone, in a race to compete with Apple Music, in order to placate Drake, in order to have a big first week number, which is no different from the old system, but promoting Snail Mail?

This is not a review in the newspaper, not a review on Pitchfork, not a street team infecting my inbox/social media. Rather, the largest music company on the planet, the one the most people listen to, is giving real estate to this unknown act, I’m gonna listen.

And I was surprised, I didn’t immediately click it off.

Now only two types of music are promoted. Well, three. Starting with the least important is the oldsters running on fumes with new music, which often goes unlistened to, no matter how good a job the PR person does. And then there’s the hip-hop, and the pop. It’s gotten to the point where if you’re not a fan of those genres, you tune out all music promotion, you’ve been burned too many times.

And then you hear something like Snail Mail.

I don’t want to know she’s from Baltimore, I don’t want to know she was a hockey fanatic, I DON’T WANT TO KNOW SHE’S NINETEEN YEARS OLD, I just want to listen to the MUSIC!

And that’s what I did when I clicked through, I scrolled through to find the most played cuts. And I started with the two in seven figures (that’s over a million for the math-challenged), first “Heat Wave,” figuring it was a good chance it was a cover.

But it’s not.

Now I know nothing about this act, I’ve done no research, I don’t plan to spend a ton of time, all I know is there’s a blond girl in the picture. But there’s a vibe that resonates, something dark, which appeals to me, especially in an era where everybody’s telling me how much better they are than I am.

And then came the guitars.

Wait a minute, is this rock? Made by a woman? Why isn’t the world all over this?

Not that this is Jade Bird. I can’t say there’s an immediate hit, something I can point you to that you’ll get immediately. But as I’m listening to “Heat Wave,” there’s a break with guitarwork and I’m thinking if this was 1977, music fans would be all over this. Because that’s the way it was, there was a scene, you were a fan and if someone got a major recording contract, you’d pay attention.

But Snail Mail’s album “Lush” is on Matador. That’s the world we live in, the majors want NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS!

To their detriment. They’re too busy chasing “hits,” and leaving the rest to indies, to acts doing it all by themselves, which is why Spotify could make headway going straight to acts, or vice versa. Meanwhile, all the hype Matador did was essentially useless. Because print and NPR don’t move the needle. BUT A BANNER ON SPOTIFY DOES!

That’s right, it’s an endcap on steroids. Because there’s only one record presented, which you can’t ignore, unless you turn announcements off, but why would you do that, you’d be living in the wilderness!

“I’m feeling lowI’m not into sometimes”

You don’t want to be second best, you don’t want to be a booty call, you want to be PRIMARY, but even though you say no, that does not mean you still don’t hurt, still don’t desire, still don’t fantasize.

So now I’m doing research, because I’m hooked by the MUSIC!

That’s when I realize I was exposed to the hype and ignored it.

And I pulled up the lyrics. And they weren’t revelatory, but there were some nuggets, like the lines above at the end of “Heat Wave.”

Now the lyrics are about teenage/twentysomething problems. Where is my place in the world? Do you like me for who I am? But it’s such a change from what is being forced down our throat.

I don’t know what happens, I don’t know if Snail Mail breaks through. But I’d go to see the act, essentially Lindsey Jordan, at the Troubadour, in a club without a big screen, where it was solely about the music, like it used to be.

So, just when you give up hope, you’re inspired. Hopefully, this can translate to politics.

And on one hand it’s scary, Spotify has so much power. But at least it’s promoting worthy material as opposed to spewing falsehoods like those in D.C.

So, used to be if you were a music fan, you were a fan of an act, not a hit. But an act had to have something to say, had to stand for something, had to be authentic, their tunes couldn’t be written by committee, they had to be the blood-writings made after opening a vein.

There is definitely something here, it sure ain’t exactly clear.

Start with “Heat Wave.” Click to “Pristine.” Let it play through to “Speaking Terms.” This is indie rock, but well-produced and well-played enough not to be too far outside, and Lindsey Jordan has a more than serviceable voice.

Lindsey Buckingham is rocking out on his own, and not talking about the Fleetwood Mac controversy, with the Oakland Press giving his concert high marks. Detroit's Motown Museum expansion ambition is more than one-third to its goal of $50 million. Today, Sunday, at 11 a.m. PST, Allie X will present Super Sunset Live, a live digital concert, via her Facebook and Youtube channels. Maddie & Tae and Aflac gave a 5-year-old cancer patient the red carpet treatment at the CMA Awards and it made for some adorable photos [caption id="attachment_59169" align="aligncenter" width="486"] Photo Credit: Sara Kauss Photography[/caption] Following a fundraiserat San Francisco's Masonic Temple for its All Within My Hands Foundation, Metallica has, through its foundation, provided $100,000 to the North Valley Community Foundation and the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, which provide services to fire victims at evacuation shelters.

The Detroit Regional Convention Facility Authority voted to exercise the first three-year option to renew the SMG contract to manage facility operations of Cobo Center through 2022. Waffle House has launched its own awards show (don't laugh: Chris Stapleton was there) called the Tunie Awards, and Khalid won an award for his hit "Location," which was the top song to be played on the TouchTunes Jukeboxes in more than 1,900 Waffle House restaurants, beating out Sam Hunt's "Body Like A Back Road." Waffle House Jukebox Top Ten Songs of 2018:

"Location" by Khalid

"Body Like A Back Road" by Sam Hunt

"Can't Stop the Feeling!" by Justin Timberlake

"Shape of You" by Ed Sheeran

"Blue Ain't Your Color" by Keith Urban

"Tennessee Whiskey" by Chris Stapleton

"Uptown Funk" by Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars

"Thinking Out Loud" by Ed Sheeran

"Too Good at Goodbyes" by Sam Smith

"Can't Feel My Face" by The Weeknd

It's been 35 years since "A Christmas Story" debuted and Variety has provided a well-deserved retrospectiveon the major award the film has given us. Janelle Monae's recent performance on Austin City Limits is worth a look:

Mark David Chapman says in a recent interview that he didn't want John Lennon to suffer but can't yet say he's 100 percent remorseful for killing the ex-Beatle. Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickenson tells the Jerusalem Post he is happy the band isn't in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and would refuse being inducted. Attorneys for Danielle Bregoli, aka Bhad Bhabie, have sent a cease and desist letter to new music app Vezt for using her likeness without her consent and are asking for $3 million if Vezt does not comply. Two men have been bannedfrom Nevada gaming after scamming the Bellagio in Las Vegas out of $1.2 million in craps when "casino officials became aware of the con in 2014 after noticing several bets that won despite 452 billion-to-1 odds."A shrine to Danny DeVitohas been foundbehind a college restroom's towel dispenser.Tekashi69 has cleaned house, canceling his upcoming shows and firing his manager, booking agent and publicist, according to a recent Instagram post.

A post shared by NOVEMBER 23RD (@6ix9ine) on Nov 15, 2018 at 12:07pm PST

Britney Spears has apparently evacuatedfrom her Thousand Oaks mansionas a precaution as the nearby fire had a flare-up in her area, but plans to return home by today. Coldplay: A Head Full Of Dreamsscored 300,000 global admissions and more than $3.5 million in revenue for its one night engagement last night. Birmingham, England, is planning to build a bench in honor of local heroes Black Sabbath, and possibly renaming a bridge the "Black Sabbath Bridge." Bhad Bhabie, aka Danielle Bregoli, aka the cash-me-outside-howbow-da girl-turned musical performer, tossed water on Iggy Azalea at Cardi B's fashion event in Hollywood and apparently it's a thing. SMG has been awarded five-year contract renewals for Cleveland facilities Huntington Convention Center and the Global Center for Health Innovation. Steve Perry is reportedly suing a musician to keep from being released music recorded on an 8-track tape recorder in a garage in the '90s. Heidi May, manager for Henry Rollins, has an Instagram account that captures the formerly angry, anti-establishment singer of Black Flag going nuts over peanut brittle and stuff like that. Jack Black, touring as Tenacious D, just ran into pro drummer Kevin Clark, aka Spazzy McGee, the drummer of the "School of Rock" band. Disneyland has been suedfor allegedly having bed bugs, that bite, at the Disneyland Hotel.

No posts in this date

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Lindsey Buckingham is rocking out on his own, and not talking about the Fleetwood Mac controversy, with the Oakland Press giving his concert high marks. Detroit's Motown Museum expansion ambition is more than one-third to its goal of $50 million. Today, Sunday, at 11 a.m. PST, Allie X will present Super Sunset Live, a live digital concert, via her Facebook and Youtube channels. Maddie & Tae and Aflac gave a 5-year-old cancer patient the red carpet treatment at the CMA Awards and it made for some adorable photos [caption id="attachment_59169" align="aligncenter" width="486"] Photo Credit: Sara Kauss Photography[/caption] Following a fundraiserat San Francisco's Masonic Temple for its All Within My Hands Foundation, Metallica has, through its foundation, provided $100,000 to the North Valley Community Foundation and the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, which provide services to fire victims at evacuation shelters.

The Detroit Regional Convention Facility Authority voted to exercise the first three-year option to renew the SMG contract to manage facility operations of Cobo Center through 2022. Waffle House has launched its own awards show (don't laugh: Chris Stapleton was there) called the Tunie Awards, and Khalid won an award for his hit "Location," which was the top song to be played on the TouchTunes Jukeboxes in more than 1,900 Waffle House restaurants, beating out Sam Hunt's "Body Like A Back Road." Waffle House Jukebox Top Ten Songs of 2018:

"Location" by Khalid

"Body Like A Back Road" by Sam Hunt

"Can't Stop the Feeling!" by Justin Timberlake

"Shape of You" by Ed Sheeran

"Blue Ain't Your Color" by Keith Urban

"Tennessee Whiskey" by Chris Stapleton

"Uptown Funk" by Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars

"Thinking Out Loud" by Ed Sheeran

"Too Good at Goodbyes" by Sam Smith

"Can't Feel My Face" by The Weeknd

It's been 35 years since "A Christmas Story" debuted and Variety has provided a well-deserved retrospectiveon the major award the film has given us. Janelle Monae's recent performance on Austin City Limits is worth a look:

Mark David Chapman says in a recent interview that he didn't want John Lennon to suffer but can't yet say he's 100 percent remorseful for killing the ex-Beatle. Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickenson tells the Jerusalem Post he is happy the band isn't in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and would refuse being inducted. Attorneys for Danielle Bregoli, aka Bhad Bhabie, have sent a cease and desist letter to new music app Vezt for using her likeness without her consent and are asking for $3 million if Vezt does not comply. Two men have been bannedfrom Nevada gaming after scamming the Bellagio in Las Vegas out of $1.2 million in craps when "casino officials became aware of the con in 2014 after noticing several bets that won despite 452 billion-to-1 odds."A shrine to Danny DeVitohas been foundbehind a college restroom's towel dispenser.Tekashi69 has cleaned house, canceling his upcoming shows and firing his manager, booking agent and publicist, according to a recent Instagram post.

A post shared by NOVEMBER 23RD (@6ix9ine) on Nov 15, 2018 at 12:07pm PST

Britney Spears has apparently evacuatedfrom her Thousand Oaks mansionas a precaution as the nearby fire had a flare-up in her area, but plans to return home by today. Coldplay: A Head Full Of Dreamsscored 300,000 global admissions and more than $3.5 million in revenue for its one night engagement last night. Birmingham, England, is planning to build a bench in honor of local heroes Black Sabbath, and possibly renaming a bridge the "Black Sabbath Bridge." Bhad Bhabie, aka Danielle Bregoli, aka the cash-me-outside-howbow-da girl-turned musical performer, tossed water on Iggy Azalea at Cardi B's fashion event in Hollywood and apparently it's a thing. SMG has been awarded five-year contract renewals for Cleveland facilities Huntington Convention Center and the Global Center for Health Innovation. Steve Perry is reportedly suing a musician to keep from being released music recorded on an 8-track tape recorder in a garage in the '90s. Heidi May, manager for Henry Rollins, has an Instagram account that captures the formerly angry, anti-establishment singer of Black Flag going nuts over peanut brittle and stuff like that. Jack Black, touring as Tenacious D, just ran into pro drummer Kevin Clark, aka Spazzy McGee, the drummer of the "School of Rock" band. Disneyland has been suedfor allegedly having bed bugs, that bite, at the Disneyland Hotel.

No posts in this date

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